12 Most Expensive Metro Areas to Raise a Child

Birth rates in the United States have hit record lows in recent years, with more couples opting for fewer or no kids at all. While they cite a variety of reasons, the cost is definitely a factor in many decisions. Raising a child in the U.S. costs $20,813 annually on average, according to a new SmartAsset study that examined data from 381 metropolitan areas across the country. SmartAsset used MIT Living Wage Calculator data for 2022 to compare the living costs of a household with two adults and one child to that of a childless household with two adults. In their analysis, researchers included costs of food, housing, childcare, health care, transportation and other necessities within each metro area. Childcare is the largest expense of raising a child, accounting for nearly 50% of the annual cost, on average, according to the calculations. But the outlay for childcare varies widely across the country. At the extremes, it costs some $22,000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, but only $4,800 in Sumter, South Carolina. The study found that couples with one child spend an average of $3,407 more on housing than childless couples. Annual food costs for a child come in at between $1,768 and $2,111, with relatively little variation based on location, while transportation costs average $2,116. See the gallery for the 12 most expensive U.S. metros to raise a child, according to SmartAsset.